3 Women Who Reinvented Themselves & Found Their North Stars

I recently read Finding Your Own North Star, Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live, by Martha Beck. The book is a combination of practical advice, philosophy, and case studies, and provides exercises that can help you reinvent yourself. One exercise involves writing a timeline of the major events in your life, then choosing a specific event and rewriting the story three ways; the first portraying yourself as a helpless victim, the second designed to make the reader laugh, and the third where you are a resourceful hero. As Martha notes, “Learning to look at yourself in different lights frees you to see yourself as different characters. This exercise is an effective step toward psychological freedom, personal power, and mastery of your circumstances. Most people think they’ll believe in their potential for success when they see it; the truth is, you’ll see it the very instant you decide to believe it.”

The book got me thinking about what it takes to chart your own course and find the career that is meant for you. I decided to speak with three women who, after trial and error reinvented themselves multiple times, and finally found their North Star!

Turning Her Passion for Social Media into Her Own Business: Joyce Sullivan, Founder and CEO of SocMediaFin, Inc.

Joyce Sullivan, Founder and CEO of SocMediaFin, Inc., started her career as a Special Education teacher. She taught for a year, then decided to go back to school for a MBA. After graduating, she landed a job in financial services, her first career reinvention. She worked for multiple firms for over 20 years and then in 2009, along with thousands of others, was laid off. I discussed with Joyce how she dealt with the experience and how she came to start her own business.

Carrie’s advice, “don’t let fear stop you and prepare for the risks instead of being paralyzed by them.”

Joyce shared that it was tough, especially with a mortgage and two kids in college. However, she felt fortunate that her company offered outplacement services where the counselors encouraged everyone to tap into their professional network. At the time, Joyce noticed she was the only one using social media as a resource for her job search, so she offered to create and deliver a training program to help others do the same.

She eventually landed a full-time job at another financial services firm, but never stopped using social media. With her employer’s permission, she started to speak at industry-related conferences about how to utilize social media and the importance of adopting a social media policy. After all of her presentations, bankers would line up to ask how they could start using social media in their professional lives. She realized she could combine her background in teaching, passion for social media, and experience in financial services and made the decision to start a business that provides social media consulting for financial services firms and executives.

A break came when a TV producer contacted her to be interviewed on a show. The producer found Joyce through an organization she had been helping with their social media. It’s no surprise then that Joyce stresses volunteering as a great way to build your network and reputation. She said it made going out on her own easier as she had already created brand awareness. Joyce’s advice: “Keep your job as long as possible, plan financially and treat everyone as if they’re your next big thing—people remember when you’re nice.”

From MD to MBA to Entrepreneur: Carrie Mantha, Co-Founder of INDIRA

Carrie Mantha, is Co-Founder of INDIRA, which provides customized, couture bridesmaid dresses in 111 colors and coordinated jewelry and accessories, to give brides a personalized wedding party. Carrie went through two careers before finding her passion. After going to medical school, Carrie worked on a project to improve pre-natal care for low-income women. While the project helped make incremental progress, Carrie wanted to affect change on a global scale. She thought getting a MBA would provide a good foundation so she enrolled in business school.

After graduating, she worked as a health care analyst for a hedge fund, investing in bio-tech and pharma companies, which would have a global impact. Unfortunately, the fund closed and Carrie was devastated, but luckily clients from companies she invested in reached out for her help, which led to her starting a consulting practice.

At the time, Carrie was also planning her wedding and couldn’t find any bridesmaids dresses that she liked. She asked a fashion designer to create dresses to her specifications, so her wedding party would match what she envisioned. When a girlfriend asked if she could do the same thing, it was an “aha” moment, when she realized she could recreate this unique and personal experience for all brides. At first she attempted it as a side project, but helping brides became a full-time passion, so she decided to formally launch a business, thus INDIRA was born.

Carrie confesses that she misses acknowledgement by a manager for a job well-done, especially those days when she puts out multiple fires. However, she discovered she had more transferrable skills than she thought which has made the transition easier than expected. Carrie’s advice: “Don’t let fear stop you and prepare for the risks instead of being paralyzed by them.”

Finally Living the Life of Her Dreams: Pamela Jo McQuade, Speaker, Reiki Healer, and Author

Pamela Jo McQuade is a speaker, Reiki healer, and author of Spiritually Rich and Sexy, A Woman’s Guide to Becoming Infinitely Attractive. Pamela began her career as a buyer for a national department store. After years of working 12-hour days, six days a week, she was offered a job as an account executive for a cosmetics company and jumped at the opportunity. But, after only one year she was laid off. She reluctantly went back to retail, finding a job managing a clothing boutique. Then one day, she received a call for a position as a bank manager. Even though she had no banking experience, they offered her the role and deciding she had nothing to lose, she accepted it.

However, after eight successful years, Pamela grew increasingly unhappy and started to dread going to work. The problem was that she never felt she fit the role of a bank manager and wanted to make a change but didn’t know what she wanted to do. It took two years of soul searching to figure it out. She eventually realized she wanted to empower women to live the life of their dreams through teaching, writing, and healing.

So she quit her job, going from a six-figure income to acquiring a six-figure debt. But she never lost sight of her vision (literally, as she made a vision board of her ideal life and hung it where she could see it every day). At one point she worked four part-time jobs. But over time doors started to open and kept opening. The process took about four years, but now she is living the life of her dreams. Pamela said the most difficult aspect was leaping into the unknown. Her advice: “Don’t look outside to find your happiness, believe in yourself and know that all things are possible.”

One thing these women had in common was facing unforeseen circumstances, which they all used as an opportunity to look within and evaluate what they really wanted. It’s clear from each of their stories that reinvention requires courage, soul-searching, hard work, taking risks, and believing in yourself. But the payoff can be huge, providing the immensely gratifying feeling of finally finding your North Star.